This invention relates to flexible storage sleeves used to hold compact discs, digital video discs and CD ROMs which store musical, video, graphical or other types of information.
Compact discs, digital video discs, CD ROMs and other circular shaped data storage devices (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cCDSxe2x80x9d) are used extensively to store information which can be retrieved and played back by a user. The information stored can relate to music, video, instructional materials, games and numerous other variations of data. The information is than played back on CD players, video disc recorders and players, and personal computers.
CDS are typically sold at the retail level in rigid, hard plastic cases known in the music industry as xe2x80x9cjewel boxesxe2x80x9d. Although protective of the sensitive playing surfaces found on the CDS, the jewel boxes are bulky, difficult to open, often crack because of the rigidity of the plastic, are expensive to manufacture and are environmentally insensitive. Thus, flexible xe2x80x9csleevesxe2x80x9d have become increasingly used by consumers to replace jewel boxes, primarily in the aftermarket once consumers have purchased their CDS from the retail distributor. The flexible sleeves are commonly made from plastic type materials such as polypropylene or vinyl and are formed by placing one or more sheets of the flexible material in an overlying relationship to created one or more xe2x80x9cpocketsxe2x80x9d to receive the CD. Additional pockets may be used to hold the graphics which accompany the CDS, or alternatively may hold another compact disc.
To protect the playing surface of the compact disc which retains the sensitive stored information, different types of materials are commonly used. These include woven fabrics such as velours and cottons, as well as non-woven fabrics such as Sontara(copyright), Stearns(copyright), or other materials. Unfortunately, these materials must be laminated or in some form bonded to either a backing material or in some instances another layer of non-woven material to provide sufficient structural integrity to prevent tearing after repeated use. Typically, a polypropylene or other similar type of backing material is used to provided structural support and to provide a low friction material to facilitate the insertion and removal of graphics. One such sleeve is identified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,731 to Youngs.
The manufacturing of storage sleeves which have dual pockets for storing two CDS or one CD and accompanying graphics has thus been limited to materials which preferably have a non-woven material with a backing sheet for support, or which is laminated to another non-woven material. In either example, a lamination process is required in the form of heat bonding, xe2x80x9cweldingxe2x80x9d or other similar processes known in the art. This lamination process is time consuming, expensive and thus undesirable for the manufacturing of CD storage sleeves. Accordingly, significant demand exists for a durable, non-woven material which has a texture capable of protecting the playing surface of CDS yet is sufficiently durable for holding CDS and/or graphics without tearing or otherwise failing after repetitive use. The material must generally be manufactured using well known sleeve manufacturing techniques to retain the cost benefits associated with known sleeve production.
It is thus one object of the present invention to provide a carrying sleeve or pocket for holding compact discs which is made from a single-sheet material which is protective of the playing surface of the CD, yet durable enough not to tear or otherwise become altered or destroyed after considerable use. Preferably the material can be used as a middle sheet between a front sheet and a back sheet to create two pockets for independently holding two CDS.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a sleeve for holding CDS which can be manufactured from a non-woven material without the use of a backing sheet or which otherwise would require laminating, bonding or other form of interconnection means between two or more sheets of material. This may include the bonding of non-woven materials to other non-woven materials or alternatively the bonding of a non-woven material to a woven material or to sheet backing materials such as plastic, vinyl or other materials known in the art.
Thus, in one aspect of the present invention a non-woven material known by the trade name of xe2x80x9cVeratecxe2x80x9d(copyright) is used as the non-woven sleeve material. This single sheet material is capable of being used as an independent, stand alone sheet of non-woven material which does not require any lamination or bonding to other sheets of material for durability and support. Further, the material is pliable and flexible enough to permit conventional manufacturing techniques to be used to form various designs of CD sleeves. Thus, numerous designs may be used for a variety of different CD storage requirements. These include sleeves designed for holding single CDS, multiple CDS and album type pages with a multiplicity of CD sleeves positioned on a page and adapted for interconnection to a 3-ring notebook or other similar device. In a preferred embodiment of the aforementioned design a single sheet of non-woven material is xe2x80x9csandwichedxe2x80x9d between two stored CDS, thus providing a protective non-woven material for contact with the sensitive playing surfaces of each of the two CDS.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a sleeve for holding CDs which includes a xe2x80x9cwrite-onxe2x80x9d title strip positioned along a perimeter edge of the storage sleeve.
Preferably, the write-on title strip is comprised of a material which allows pen, ink, felt tip marker, pencil or other form of writing medium to be legibly displayed, yet can also be erased in a preferred embodiment to change titles or other information in the future. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention materials such as paper, polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon or other similar materials known in the art may be used for the write-on title strip.
It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a sleeve for holding CDs which has a generally non-rectangular or square perimeter shape which saves material costs and offers a unique geometric shape to hold the CDs. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention a semi-circular, oval, or rounded outer perimeter shape may be utilized which substantially conforms to the shape of the CDs to hold one or more CD. Further, butterfly type pages may be provided which utilize a plurality of individual CD sleeves which are interconnected along one or more common seams and which are adapted to be inserted in a CD wallet or notebook for multiple CD storage.